4 Tips on Healthy Eating for an Active Lifestyle by Eva Lovia

Lifestyle blogger and health and fitness buff Eva Lovia shares that active people need to complement their lifestyle with a healthy diet. With poor diet comes a myriad of health risks even if you are physically active. What a lot of people take for granted is the fact that being physically active doesn’t automatically mean being healthy. It’s just one-half of the equation, says Eva Lovia. While many attribute their loss of energy and fatigue by day’s end to their daily activities, a lot of it has to do with what you ate (or didn’t eat) throughout the day.

Here are a few healthy eating tips and reminders that Eva Lovia would like to share:

1. Foods to include in your diet

Whole grains, lean meat, dairy, and fruits and vegetables should be staples in your diet. Whole grains like whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, cereal, and brown rice are a good source of fiber, which is good for the heart and can help you maintain your weight; and complex carbohydrates, which gives you energy.

Lean meat, on the other hand, is a good source of protein. Protein helps build and strengthen muscles and tissues, shares Eva Lovia. Low-fat or fat-free dairy like low-fat milk helps strengthen bones and teeth, and fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and nutrients, including antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals.

2. Gradually ease off junk food

For some people, completely cutting out junk food works but for others (most people, actually), it doesn’t. Slowly ease your way out of your junk food diet; reducing the amount that you eat at first until you can fully stop. This way, you can train your brain and your stomach to get used to not eating them. After a while, you might find that not only have you lost your cravings for them but more importantly, you’ve lost your taste for them altogether!

3. Give your meals the attention they deserve

People with active lifestyles tend to eat on the go, which is likely why they go for junk food in the first place. They’re simply more accessible than healthy foods (which you may have to prepare yourself). On that note, Eva Lovia suggests that you slow down for each meal; even if that means, for the time being, that most of what’s on your plate isn’t a healthy choice. In other words, take the time to enjoy your meals. Savor each spoonful and chew slowly. Eating slower makes you feel more satisfied, and you might find that you feel more satisfied as well.

4. Plate your meals

For Eva Lovia, eating healthy isn’t just about what you eat but how you eat as well, as shown in Tip No. 3. It would also be healthier if you plate your meals instead of using serving dishes for your meals. Serving dishes spread before you could compel you to reach for more—to go for seconds—even if you already feel somewhat full; or eating until you’re ready to burst. Studies found that people who eat from individual plates ate about 35% less of what they normally would if they had the option of getting food from serving dishes.